Institut fur Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung

What Institut fur Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung does

The Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB) is the research institute of the German Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit), headquartered in Nuremberg. Established as an independent special service ('eigenständige besondere Dienststelle') on January 1, 2004 under § 367 of Social Code Book III (SGB III), IAB operates with organizational autonomy in its research mandate while remaining structurally embedded within the Federal Employment Agency, a German federal public-law corporation under the supervision of the Federal Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs. Its core function is evidence-based labor market research, including employment dynamics, skills development, migration, unemployment patterns, and labor policy effectiveness, conducted for the benefit of German federal and state-level policy makers.

IAB's product portfolio consists of statistical and survey-based data products rather than commercial software. Core offerings include the IAB-Arbeitsmarktbarometer (monthly labor market early indicator), IAB-Stellenerhebung (quarterly job vacancy survey), IAB-Arbeitszeitrechnung (working time calculations), and the IAB-Betriebspanel (annual employer survey of approximately 15,000 establishments since 1993). Additional infrastructure includes the PASS household panel, the Forschungsdatenzentrum (FDZ) providing scientific data access, regional labor market forecasts, the IAB-LinkedIn-Branchenwechsel-Radar for industry mobility tracking, the Job-Futuromat career guidance tool, and the IAB-Forum / InfoAB publication platforms. The underlying technology stack is grounded in long-running panel survey methodology, administrative records integration, and econometric modeling rather than commercial product architecture.

The revenue model is non-commercial. IAB is wholly government-funded through the Federal Employment Agency's institutional budget, with no disclosed pricing, external funding rounds, M&A activity, or private-sector customers. Distribution occurs via the iab.de website, the FDZ data center, peer-reviewed publications, events (Nürnberger Gespräche, FAU/IAB Seminars, IAB-Colloquium), and social channels. Customer segments are exclusively public-sector or academic: the BA itself as primary client, federal and state policy makers as advisory recipients, and researchers/academia as data users via the FDZ. Leadership is headed by Director Prof. Bernd Fitzenberger, PhD, and Vice Director Prof. Dr. Melanie Arntz.

Name

Institut fur Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung

Legal name

Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung der Bundesagentur für Arbeit

Website

https://iab.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB) is the research institute of the German Federal Employment Agency, conducting labor market research and operating survey-based data products for German federal and state policy makers, academia, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nuremberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB) is the research institute of the German Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit), conducting labor market research and providing data products, survey panels, and policy advice. It produces regular indicators (IAB-Arbeitsmarktbarometer, IAB-Stellenerhebung), runs major panel surveys (IAB-Betriebspanel, PASS), and operates the Forschungsdatenzentrum (Research Data Center) to support evidence-based labor market policy in Germany.

Product overview

The Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB) is the research institute of the German Federal Employment Agency, operating as a research institution rather than a commercial product company. Its portfolio consists of a comprehensive suite of data products, survey panels, and information platforms focused on labor market research. The core data products include the IAB-Arbeitsmarktbarometer (early indicator for labor market trends), IAB-Stellenerhebung (job vacancy survey), and IAB-Arbeitszeitrechnung (working time statistics). Major survey instruments include the IAB-Betriebspanel (annual employer survey of 15,000 businesses since 1993), PASS household panel, and ReLOC business survey. The IAB-Forum and InfoAB serve as information platforms aggregating research publications, while the Forschungsdatenzentrum (FDZ) provides data access for scientific research. Additional tools include Job-Futuromat for career guidance, regional forecasts, immigration monitoring, and specialized data products on collective agreements, labor shortages, and occupational structures. These products collectively support evidence-based labor market policy and research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IAB-Arbeitsmarktbarometer (IAB Labor Market Barometer) An early indicator based on a monthly survey of all local employment agencies, predicting employment and unemployment trends in Germany for policymakers, government agencies, and the public.
• IAB-Stellenerhebung (IAB Job Vacancy Survey) The only survey in Germany that representatively and statistically validly measures the development of overall economic labor demand, providing quarterly data on job vacancies for policymakers, researchers, and analysts.
• IAB-Arbeitszeitrechnung (IAB Working Time Calculation) The key data product for worked hours in Germany that underlies official statistics on labor input, providing quarterly data on employment and working hours for government statisticians and researchers.
• IAB-Betriebspanel (IAB Establishment Panel) A representative employer survey on business determinants of employment, conducted annually since 1993 in West Germany and 1996 in East Germany, surveying approximately 15,000 businesses for policymakers and researchers.
• PASS – Panel Arbeitsmarkt und soziale Sicherung (Panel Labour Market and Social Security) A household panel survey on labor market and social security topics (also covering quality of life and social security), providing data on employment, unemployment, and social protection for policymakers and academic researchers.
• IAB-Zuwanderungsmonitor (IAB Immigration Monitor) Analyzes immigration, employment, and unemployment of specific nationalities, tracking migration patterns to Germany for policymakers and migration researchers.
• Arbeitskräfteknappheits-Index (Labor Shortage Index) Employment agencies assess the extent to which the filling of open positions is hindered by limited available workers, producing a recurring indicator of labor shortages for policymakers and analysts.
• Beruf – Struktur – Entwicklung (Occupation – Structure – Development) Data on occupational structures and their development over time in the German labor market, serving labor market researchers and policy advisors.
• QuBe – Qualifikation und Beruf in der Zukunft (Qualification and Occupation in the Future) A joint IAB-BIBB project providing qualification and occupation projections for the future, modeling labor market developments for education and labor market policymakers.
• Regionale Arbeitsmarktprognosen (Regional Labor Market Forecasts) Regional labor market forecasts calculated by the Regional Research Network at IAB, providing sub-national employment and labor market projections for regional policy actors.
• Daten zur Tarifbindung und betrieblicher Interessenvertretung (Collective Bargaining and Works Council Data) Data on collective agreement coverage and works councils in Germany, based on IAB-Betriebspanel surveys, for industrial relations researchers and policymakers.
• IAB-Forum An information platform for labor market and occupation research and labor market policy, publishing articles, interviews, and analyses for the general public, policymakers, and researchers.
• InfoAB – IAB Infoplattform The IAB information platform for labor market research, occupation research, and labor market policy, aggregating publications and literature for researchers and the public.
• Forschungsdatenzentrum der BA im IAB (FDZ) – Research Data Center Research data center providing access to IAB data for scientific research purposes, including various datasets and surveys for academic researchers.
• Job-Futuromat A career guidance tool that shows how occupations may change due to digitalization, technological change, and climate policy, aimed at job seekers, career counselors, and the public.
• IAB-LinkedIn-Branchenwechsel-Radar (Industry Change Radar) Data product analyzing sector change patterns using LinkedIn data, tracking labor mobility between industries for researchers and labor market analysts.
• ReLOC – Research on Locational and Organisational Change Business survey on economic activities since EU eastern enlargement, examining locational and organisational change for researchers and policy advisors.
• European Labour Market Barometer A European labor market indicator providing comparable data on labor market developments across EU countries for European policymakers and researchers.
• Corona-Eindämmungsmaßnahmen Datenbasis (COVID-19 Containment Measures Database) Database on corona containment measures and their impact on the labor market, maintained by IAB for researchers and policymakers during the pandemic.
• IAB-Brain-Drain-Daten (Brain Drain Data) Data on emigration of skilled workers from Germany, analyzing brain drain patterns for migration researchers and policymakers.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency)coreOthersThe Institute for Employment Research (IAB) is an independent special service of the Federal Employment Agency. The BA is the parent organization that commissions IAB to conduct labor market research and provide policy advice. The institute has been operating as an independent entity within the BA structure since January 1, 2004.
• Partner institutes in German federal statescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIAB collaborates with partner institutes across all German federal states (Bundesländer) for conducting the IAB-Betriebspanel survey, which covers approximately 15,000 establishments annually.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Eurofound (European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions): EU-level agency conducting comparative research on employment, working conditions, and labor markets across member states. Directly comparable in producing European-wide labor market barometers and survey panels (e.g., European Working Conditions Survey), and a natural counterpart to IAB's European Labour Market Barometer.
• DIW Berlin (German Institute for Economic Research): Berlin-based economic research institute producing SOEP panel data and labor market analysis. Directly comparable: member of the Leibniz Association, conducts labor economics research, publishes policy advice, and operates longitudinal household and establishment panels similar in spirit to IAB's Betriebspanel and PASS.
• ZEW – Centre for European Economic Research: Mannheim-based economic research institute with strong labor market, skills, and digital economy research. Comparable scope of policy-relevant empirical research, recurring panel surveys, and international European focus similar to IAB's European Labour Market Barometer.
• ifo Institute – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research: Munich-based economic research institute producing the ifo Business Climate Index and labor market analyses. Directly comparable in size, scope, and policy advisory role, with overlapping employer survey work (ifo Konjunkturtest) and German labor market research.
• RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research: Essen-based economic research institute producing labor market reports and policy advice. Comparable as a German government-funded economic research institute with similar employment, migration, and skills research, and RWI-Mitteilungen publication track.
• IZA – Institute of Labor Economics: Independent Bonn-based research institute focused on labor economics globally. Closest direct peer in Germany: same subject matter (labor markets, employment, social policy), overlapping academic audience, and frequent co-publication, but organized as a private non-profit rather than a government entity.

Regional players

• WIFO – Austrian Institute of Economic Research: Austrian national economic research institute producing labor market forecasts and policy advice. Comparable in mandate and product type (regular labor market outlook, employer surveys), but focused on Austria rather than Germany, making it a regional rather than direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs: OECD directorate producing cross-country labor market analysis (Employment Outlook). Comparable in producing comparative labor market data and policy advice, and in publishing standardized indicators on unemployment, skills shortages, and labor mobility.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): U.S. federal agency producing employment statistics, job vacancy data (JOLTS), and labor market research. Comparable in mandate and product mix (national vacancy survey, establishment surveys, working time statistics), but at a much larger scale and serving a different national labor market.
• INSEE (French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies): France's national statistics agency producing labor force survey, employment data, and economic research. Comparable in producing national labor market statistics and policy-relevant analyses, and as a public-statistics counterpart for France, though broader in scope than IAB.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@IAByoutube
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institut-fuer-arbeitsmarkt-und-berufsforschung
• Xx.com/iab_news

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institut fur Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung